This application proposes development of the Middle Ear Disease Antibiotic Compliance Tool (MEDACT), a unique compliance enhancement system designed especially for parents whose infant or young toddler has been diagnosed with Acute Otitis Media (AOM). Noncompliance with prescribed antibiotic regimens for children with AOM places young children at risk for adverse language, cognitive, and motor developmental outcomes, resulting in unnecessary medical expenses for individual families and society as a whole, and is associated with the proliferation of resistant bacteria throughout the larger community. Although the consequences can be severe, inadequate compliance with antibiotic regimens is clearly commonplace. Based on the latest empirical research, MEDACT constitutes a comprehensive approach to this problem that integrates educational, behavioral, and affective components. The system contains (1) an Educational and Motivational Videotape, (2) a Micro Computing Device (MCD) with specialized software. (3) a User Brochure, and (4) a Medication Administration Kit. Phase l will begin the development and testing of a prototype MEDACT system, and Phase II will entail completion of the system which is subject to an accuracy test and rigorous field trial. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The commercial impact of this project is extraordinarily promising. Estimates suggest approximately II million antibiotic prescriptions are written for children with otitis media within the targeted age group each year. Antibiotic treatment failures, which are often the result of noncompliance, increase overall treatment costs nearly four-fold. Thus, private insurance companies and individual families would benefit enormously from this product, if proven effective. MEDACT would not only be appealing to these potential customers as a means of improving health outcomes, but as a product with significant cost-saving potential. As such, ITS believes there is an extremely large and receptive market for a lost-cost, easy-to-use system like MEDACT.